THE GIVER. AUTHOR AND CONTEXT
Born on March 20, 1937 in Honolulu, Hawaii, Lois Lowry was the second daughter of Robert Hammersberg, an army dentist, and Katharine Landis, the daughter of a Pennsylvanian banker. The Hammersberg family moved constantly, living in different places because of Robert Hammersberg's career in the army. When Lois was two, the family moved to the father's assignment in New York City.
Lowry taught herself to read and write, and she later described herself as "an intellectual snob at the age of three." Life at home was harmonious with a mother who constantly read aloud and a father who told stories about his childhood. However, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the United States went to war, and in 1941, the family was separated from their father who was sent off to war.
With her children, Katharine Landis returned to her hometown in Pennsylvania to her family and relatives. There, Lowry shared a special relationship with her affectionate grandfather and the cook of the family, Fleta. Soon after, a baby brother was born, and Lowry started school. At school, Lowry, having already mastered reading and writing, was constantly ahead of other children as a result of which she was able to skip the second grade. Lowry's childhood was a warm, happy one despite the fact that it was in the middle of the World War II. As a girl, she loved making trips to the local public library, and was convinced that she would become a writer some day.
After the war ended, the family once again relocated. This time, Katharine Landis took her children to Japan where her husband had been living and stationed since the war. Lowry attended the English-speaking Meguro School in Tokyo with her older sister Helen. The family lived in Washington Heights where the families of other US army officials lived. Lowry welcomed the chance to be reunited with her father in Japan whose absence had made her long for him. After a two-year stay in Japan, however, the Korean War broke out, and the family was again separated from their father, heading back to Pennsylvania. Lowry's stay in Pennsylvania was not to be a long one, however. Robert Hammersberg shortly followed his family to the United States, taking them back to New York where his new assignment was to be. Lois first attended Curtis High School, a public high school on Staten Island, and later transferred to a private girls' school in Brooklyn called Packer Collegiate Institute. In high school, Lowry was a shy and reserved student who loved to read and write.
After high school, Lowry attended Brown University which had offered her a scholarship and acceptance into its honors writing program. She met her future husband at Brown-Donald Grey Lowry who later persuaded her to discontinue her education and marry him. Donald Lowry was an officer in the United States Navy, so Lowry's married life was no different from the rest of her life in that it was spent in manydifferent places. By the age of twenty-five, she had had four children. Later, Donald Lowry enrolled at Harvard Law School, and the family lived in Cambridge. During her time at Cambridge, Lowry received word from her sister Helen that she was dying of cancer. Although she repeatedly made plans to go see her sister at Washington DC, Lowry was never able to see her again alive.
After Donald Lowry graduated from law school, the family moved to Maine where Lowry spent most of her time raising her children and taking care of her family. She was a disciplinary, but affectionate mother. When her youngest child started attending school, Lowry decided to continue her education at the University of Southern Maine where she earned her BA and started her Masters degree. She actively began writing nonfiction articles as well as short stories for newspapers and magazines. Upon the urging of an editor from Houghton Mifflin, a publishing company based in Boston, Lowry started writing what would eventually become her first novel, A Summer to Die. A story about two sisters one of whom faces imminent death from illness, the book that had been inspired by the death of her own sister earner Lowry much acclaim. With success in career, however, came failure in marriage. The same year her book was published, Lowry's marriage to Donald Lowry ended.
After the divorce, Lois eventually moved to Boston where she actively began writing for young people. She has written books that reflect the realities of her own life and depict various problems about coming of age. Her third novel Autumn Street was a autobiographical piece of work that portrayed a family living in Pennsylvania during the war. It was a serious piece of work after which Lois decided to write a happier, lighter work. This was the start of her famous Anastasia Krupnik series about a girl growing up in Cambridge. Number the Stars was, however, the book that earned the author wide acclaim as well as a Newbery Award. It was a book based on a factual account of a Danish woman she had met in Maine. Shedid extensive historical research and even made a trip to Denmark in order to feel what her characters would in the book.
If Number the Stars was a book about the past, her next work The Giver was a book about the future. It earned Lowry her second Newbery Medal in 1994. Upon receiving the award, Lowry explained that some of her life experiences and events had led her to the writing of the novel. Her years in Japan as well as her college days at Brown had all helped her write the book. There were specific events in her life such as a trip to Germany and a visit to her father in a nursing home that had led her to think about issues such as pain, memories, and choices-themes that run throughout The Giver.
Lowry says that her reason for writing for young people is that she likes remembering her own life as a child while writing. Another reason is that much of her early adulthood was spent taking care of and thinking about the lives of her four children. Her experiences with her children taught her the importance of "treating young people with sensitivity and compassion."
THE GIVER. OBJECTS AND/OR PLACES
Community: The community refers to where Jonas and the rest of the citizens live. There are said to be similar communities nearby.
Speaker: There are speakers in family dwellings and all throughout the community that make announcements and reminders. Only The Giver is able to turn these speakers off when he wishes.
Newchild: A newchild is a newly born child who is taken care of by the Nurturers at the Nurturing Center until they become Ones. There are always fifty newchildren each year, and when they become Ones at the December Ceremony, they are named and given to families.
Evening telling of Feelings: The evening telling of feelings is one of the many rituals in every family dwelling. Each member of the family takes turns to talk about his or her feelings regarding what has happened earlier that day.
Nurturer: A Nurturer works at the Nurturing Center taking care of newchildren. Jonas's father is a Nurturer. Night-crew Nurturers, on the other hand, are people who '[lack] the interest or skills or insight for the more vital jobs of the daytime hours.'
Release : A release is the worst punishment in the community. When people are released, they are sent Elsewhere, never to be seen again. There are, however, two occasions when the release is not a punishment-the release of the elderly and the release of newchildren. When an elderly person is released, there is a celebration during which the person's life is told before others at the House of the Old. No one knows what exactly happens to the person when he or she is released, but after the telling, the person walks through a special door in the Releasing Room, never to be seen again. Newchildren are released from the community if they are unable to grow normally. When newchildren are released, it is not a celebration, but rather a sad occasion because they have not yet had a chance to live within the community. Later, Jonasdiscovers that when a person is released, he or she is actually being put to sleep.
Department of Justice: The Department of Justice is where Jonas's mother works, and it is a place where offenders of the law are brought to be judged. It is a place that upholds rules in the community.
Ceremony in December (Ceremony of Twelve) : The Ceremony in December is a yearly ceremony held every December. It is when newchildren become Ones, Ones become Twos, until Elevens become Twelves. When Elevens become Twelves, they receive Assignments which designate their roles in the community. Some become Birthmothers; others become Laborers or Instructors of children. Some are placed in the Rehabilitation Center or in the House of the Old.
Naming List : The Naming List is drafted by a committee, and it is a list of the names of all the newchildren who will become Ones during the Ceremony in December. It is a document that is kept in the Nurturing Center. Jonas's father takes a peek at the Naming List in order to learn Gabriel's name.
Assignments: When children become Twelves, they are given Assignments which designate their jobs in the community.
Comfort objects: Children who are not yet Eights are given comfort objects that they sleep with. When they become Eights, their comfort objects are taken away to be recycled to younger children. Many comfort objects are 'soft, stuffed, imaginary creatures' such as elephants and bears.
Birthmothers: Some females receive Assignments in the community as Birthmothers. For three years, they give three births after which they spend the rest of their lives as Laborers. When Lily says that birthmothers are fortunate to get good food and time to 'play and amuse themselves,' Jonas's mother tells Lily that 'there is very little honor' in being a Birthmother. Although Birthmothers give births, they do not even get the chance to see their newchildren.
Apple: One day during the recreation period, Jonas sees an apple change in a strange way. He is playing catch with Asher, and Jonas sees the apple change in mid-air. Later, Jonas learns from The Giver that this had been his first time seeing the color red.
Rehabilitation Center: The Rehabilitation Center is where citizens go when they are injured. An Eleven named Benjamin who has spent many of his volunteer hours there is said to be as skilled as the directors at the Center. That he will most likely be assigned to the field of Rehabilitation is little disputed in the community.
House of the Old: The House of the Old is where the elderly citizens live in the community. It is a peaceful, quiet place where its inhabitants spend time 'sitting quietly, some visiting and talking with one another, others doing handwork and simple crafts' in each of its well-furnished rooms.
Stirring: Talking about a dream he has had, Jonas explains that he was with Fiona. Wanting her to undress herself and enter a bathtub, Jonas had felt 'a wanting' in his dream. When he tells his parents about the dream, they tell him that he has had his first Stirring which usually begins with a dream. In the community, everyone must report Stirrings and take pills to treat them and make them disappear.
Ritual of Telling Dreams: The telling of dreams is a morning ritual when every member of the family tells his or her dreams. Everyone listens carefully and discusses with one another what the dreams might have signified. Usually, Jonas does not have much to say because he rarely dreams.
Front-buttoned jacket: Children get front-buttoned jackets when they become Sevens. As the 'first sign of independence...[and] the first very visible symbol of growing up,' the jackets have buttons in the front. Fours, Fives, and Sixes wear jackets that have buttons in the back so that they will learn to depend on one another to dress themselves.
Family Unit/ Family dwelling : A family unit in the community consists of parents and exactly two children-one boy and one girl. The family lives together until the children grow old enough to have families of their own. The parents, then, go and live with other Childless Adults and eventually go to the House of the Old where they will spend the rest of their lives until being released. Newchildren are assigned to their family units when they become Ones at the Ceremony in December.
Ceremony of Loss: When a Four named Caleb had been lost in the river, the community performed the Ceremony of Loss, repeating Caleb's name, getting softer and less frequent 'so that the little Four seemed to fade away gradually from everyone's consciousness.'
Matching of Spouses: The Committee of Elders does Matching of Spouses. An adult applies for a spouse, and the Committee must approve the Match. Sometimes, an adult waits for a long period of time before being given a spouse. Factors such as 'disposition, energy level, intelligence, and interests' must be compatible.
Placement of newchildren: The Committee of Elders also oversees Placement of newchildren in family units. The Committee observes couples for three years before granting them the permission to apply for children. Both Matching of Spouses as well as Placement of newchildren are done with much consideration and care by the Committee.
Smacks: In the community, there is a disciplinary system of smacks for small children. Children who misbehave are given smacks with 'a thin, flexible weapon that [stings] painfully' by childcare specialists. Children are given one smack on the hands for a minor offense and three smacks on the legs for a second offense.
Name Not-to-Be-Spoken: In the community, there are names that are designated Not-to-Be-Spoken. As the 'highest degree of disgrace,' the name is to be never mentioned nor used again for a newchild. The name of the Eleven who had been selected to become a Receiver ten years ago is a name Not-to-Be-Spoken.
The Annex: The Annex is The Giver's dwelling behind the House of the Old. This is where Jonas begins to receive his training. When one pushes the buzzer, one is let in by a female Attendant. A door leads to The Giver's room, and it is the only one locked in the community where no doors are ever locked. The receptionist explains to Jonas who is puzzled that it is to 'ensure The Receiver's privacy.'
Memory: The Giver explains to Jonas that Jonas's Assignment as the next Receiver is to receive memories from The Giver. He tells Jonas that they are not simply memories of The Giver's past, but 'the memories of the whole world... generations before...that [go] beyond-all that is Elsewhere-and all that [go] back, and back, and back.' As a Receiver, The Giver received them, and memories are 'how wisdom comes... and how [people] shape [their] future.' They are also what weary and burden The Giver who must keep all of them to himself.
Sled/Snow: The first memory that Jonas receives from The Giver is that of going down a snow-covered hill on a sled.
Sameness: With Sameness being instituted, people in the community eventually did not have to make any choices. Everything was made to be the same. People's skin, hair, and eye colors were mostly the same. There were no colors or music, nor changes in weather. By being given memories, Jonas understands what the world was like before Sameness.
Color (red): When Jonas first begins to see colors, he sees the color red. First he sees it in an apple that he throws around with Asher one day during recreation period. He also sees it in Fiona's red hair as she walks away from him. Upon being instructed by The Giver, Jonas sees that the sled from the first memory he had been given is also red.
Capacity to See beyond: When the Chief Elder speaks about Jonas's special Assignment as the Receiver of Memories during the Ceremony in December, she says that one last quality necessary for the Receiver is a Capacity to See Beyond. Later, Jonas learns that this capacity was his ability to see colors. For The Giver, it had been a Capacity to Hear Beyond-his ability to listen to music.
Books: When Jonas first goes to The Giver to be trained, he notices that The Giver's room is filled with books. In his home as in other family dwellings, there are only books like the dictionary, books describing offices, factories, and other buildings, and the Book of Rules. He is surprised to see that there are other books as well. Later, The Giver tells him that as the Receiver of Memories, only Jonas and he will ever have access to these books in the community.
Elsewhere: Elsewhere is the place beyond the community. There are stories about people being sent or going Elsewhere, but no one in the community knows for certain that it is there. Asher talks about someone who swam across the river to join another community. According to the rules, it is possible to apply for a release to go Elsewhere. In general, when people are released, they go Elsewhere. Jonas first begins to wonder where Elsewhere exactly is and what it is like, but as his training continues, he comes to believe that there really is an Elsewhere where there are things that he merely sees in his memories. At the end, Jonas decides to flee the community and go seek the Elsewhere he has dreamed and thought about. If Jonas goes away, all the memories he has been given will be let loose for the citizens in the community. After his long, exhausting journey, Jonas sees lights and thinks that it is the Elsewhere he has longed for.
THE GIVER. FEELINGS
Chapter 1
Feelings 1: Jonas feels frightened when he encounters an unfamiliar scene in which an aircraft is flying over the community.
Feelings 2: Trying to precisely describe his feelings, Jonas decides that "frightened" is too strong a word. He decides that he is "apprehensive" about the upcoming December Ceremony.
Feelings 3: Every evening in family dwellings, family members share their feelings for the day. The rest of the family, in turn, helps to resolve them.
Feelings 4: Jonas must take pills every morning to stop the feeling of wanting, Stirrings, from coming back. Although he does as he is told, Jonas thinks that he had actually liked the feelings in his dreams.
Chapter 5
Feelings 5: The Committee decides to give Gabriel one more year to be nurtured at the Nurturing Center. Meanwhile, until next year, Gabriel will continue to spend his nights with Jonas's family. But, on the condition that Gabriel will stay at the family dwelling, Jonas's family must sign "pledges" that they will not become attached to the baby and will readily give him up when the time comes for Gabriel's assignment to another family.
Chapter 6
Feelings 6: When spouses are matched by the Committee of Elders, many factors such as "disposition, energy level, intelligence, and interests" are all considered, but the feelings of the people concerned are not mentioned.
Feelings 7: When the Chief Elder skips Jonas's Assignment, everyone in the audience becomes uncomfortable. Jonas feels an array of emotions that ranges from confusion to terror.
Chapter 8
Feelings 8: Jonas is happy and excited as he slides downhill on the sled. The snow makes him smile, and he enjoys the speedy ride.
Chapter 11
Feelings 9: After having been given his first memory of the sled ride, Jonas repeatedly dreams about going downhill on the sled. When he wakes, he feels like he wants to get to the destination that "lies beyond." He feels that it is a "good, welcoming, significant" place.
Chapter 12
Feelings 10: Jonas is given a memory in which an elephant is brutally killed by men. After the men cut off the tusks of the elephant and speed away, another elephant comes to the corpse, roaring in "grief and rage." Jonas learns about "grief and rage" as he sees the elephant mourning the slaughter of his friend.
Chapter 13
Feelings 11: After being given a memory in which he is thrown into the air by a speeding sled, Jonas experiences true physical pain and agony. Unable to share his experience with the rest of his family, Jonas is lonely.
Chapter 14
Feelings 12: When Jonas asks his parents whether or not they love him, they explain to him that "love" is an outdated form of expression. They are proud of him and they enjoy his company, but they say that it is inappropriate to use the word "love" to describe their feelings for him. "Love" is not a feeling that they know.
Feelings 13: Jonas decides not to take the pills anymore. He wants the Stirrings, the feelings of wanting, to come back.
Chapter 16
Feelings 14: Although he feels guilty about the Stirrings that have returned as a result of his not taking the pills, Jonas thinks to himself that he cannot return to not being able to feel things.
Feelings 15: As a result of the memories he is receiving, Jonas thinks that he is experiencing feelings he has never felt before at a newer "depth." He realizes that the kinds of feelings that Mother, Father, and Lily feel are not genuine; they are only shallow feelings.
Feelings 16: Asher is annoyed that Jonas has ruined their game of war. Although Jonas tries to explain to him that it is actually a cruel game, Asher does not listen. Understanding that he knows things that Asher and Fiona can never know, Jonas "is overwhelmed by sadness." Having been given memories, he knows how to feel love, but he realizes that Asher and Fiona cannot feel it.
Chapter 17
Feelings 17: The Giver explains that he loved Rosemary just as he loves Jonas now. Unlike others, The Giver and Jonas are capable of feeling "love."
Chapter 18
Feelings 18: Jonas finally learns that when people are released, they are actually killed. The Giver explains that Fiona is already training to perform releases. Feelings have no place in her life; she has never learned them.
Chapter 20
Feelings 19: Trying to comfort Jonas who has just learned about releases, The Giver explains that they will make a plan to change the community. There are memories of times when people once felt things like pride, sorrow, and love, and The Giver realizes that the community should change.
Feelings 20: As Jonas continues his journey, he faces new, uninhabited territory as well as new wildlife creatures he has never before seen. He also faces new feelings within himself such as happiness at being in a "new landscape" and fear of starvation.
Chapter 22
Feelings 21: Starving and tired, Jonas thinks for a second that perhaps he has made a mistake in leaving the community. He would not be starving in the community. But he quickly reminds himself that if he had stayed, he would have starved in other ways. He would have starved for "feelings, for color, for love."
THE GIVER. RULES
Chapter 1
Rules 1: In the community where Jonas lives, a rigid set of rules dictates and regulates every moment of the lives of its citizens. Although there are few exceptions, People in the community strictly adhere to the rules. When rules are violated or anything out of the ordinary happens, the citizens often become uneasy and nervous. The importance of rules is established from the very beginning of the story. Jonas is scared to see an unknown aircraft in the sky because according to the rules, planes are usually prohibited from flying over the community.
Rules 2: Adhering to the rules of the community, Asher makes an apology to the entire class when he is tardy. Precision of language is also an important rule; one must say exactly what he means. When Asher uses the word "distraught" inappropriately, he is immediately corrected by the instructor.
Rules 3: Lily confesses to having felt angry when someone from another community came and broke the rules. Like Lily, many citizens express discomfort when rules are broken.
Rules 4: Another rule is that every family unit must have exactly two children-one female and one male. When Lily jokes about keeping Gabriel, Mother reminds her of the rules.
Rules 5: Offenders of rules are brought before people like Mother who works at the Department of Justice. For offenders, there are no third chances. Once someone commits a third offense, he is released from the community.
Chapter 2
Rules 6: Father confesses to having broken a rule and peeked at the Naming List of the newchildren to learn Gabriel's name. Compared to other offenses, however, this is minor and less serious.
Rules 7: There is a rule regarding riding bicycles. One is not allowed to ride bicycles until one becomes a Nine. However, it is a rule that is often broken, and there is much talk about changing it. A committee is examining the issue, but it is difficult to change rules in the community.
Rules 8: Comfort objects are given to every newchild, but according to the rules, they are taken away when children become Eights.
Chapter 3
Rules 9: In the community, there are also unspoken codes of behavior. They are not rules, but they are often as strictly adhered to and established as rules are. For example, people do not usually like to mention things that are different about others in order to avoid being impolite.
Rules 10: When Jonas once breaks a rule, he is immediately chastised by an announcement through the speakers. When he takes the apple home after seeing it change at the Recreational Center, an announcement is made to all male Elevens that things are not to be taken from the Recreation area. Although Jonas is not specifically mentioned, Jonas understands that the announcement is directed at him.
Chapter 4
Rules 11: There are also rules against bragging in the community. Thus, Jonas cannot talk to Benjamin about Benjamin's accomplishments at the Rehabilitation Center.
Rules 12: There are rules that specify how many volunteering hours one must complete in order to receive his Assignment as a Twelve. Long time ago, when an Eleven did not finish his volunteer hours, he had not been given his Assignment at the Ceremony, but had had to receive it separately.
Rules 13: The rules dictate that people in the community must not look at one another's nakedness, but the elderly and the newchildren are an exception from this rule.
Chapter 5
Rules 14: One must treat Stirrings by taking pills every morning. Although Jonas knows that Asher is already taking the pills, he has never mentioned it to Asher because it is rude to discuss what is different about someone else.
Chapter 6
Rules 15: There are things that each age group is allowed to do and wear. Fours, Fives, and Sixes must wear jackets that are buttoned in the back. Sevens can start volunteering and wearing front-buttoned jackets. Nines start riding bicycles. Every stage of one's life in the community is organized and controlled.
Rules 16: Similarly, Elevens start wearing new clothes that are appropriately designed for their changing bodies and activities.
Rules 17: Although no one knows for certain whether or not Elsewhere exists, the rules say that it is possible to ask to be released and go Elsewhere. Things in the community are so carefully organized and controlled, however, that Jonas finds it hard to believe that anyone would want to be released. There are even rules regarding such things as matching spouses or assigning children to families.
Chapter 7
Rules 18: Because of the rule regarding precision of language, Asher must be punished with smacks although he has really asked for snacks.
Chapter 8
Rules 19: When the Chief Elder mentions the failure of the Receiver ten years ago, everyone is uncomfortable. As a general rule, things that are "unsettling or different" are not talked about in the community so the Chief Elder chooses not to discuss it further.
Chapter 9
Rules 20: When Jonas becomes a Twelve and is given his Assignment, he is given a new set of rules that he must follow.
Chapter 10
Rules 21: Doors are never locked in the community, but Jonas notices that the door leading into The Giver's room is locked. He is confused and uneasy about this violation of rules, but the Attendant quickly reassures him that it is only to ensure The Giver's privacy.
Chapter 13
Rules 22: Although not a rule, people generally do not touch others who are not their family. When Jonas touches Asher, trying to give him a memory of the color red, Asher becomes uncomfortable that Jonas is not adhering to this code of conduct.
Chapter 16
Rules 23: Abiding by the rule of precision of language, Jonas's parents explain to him that "love" is an inappropriate word to use when describing their feelings toward him.
THE GIVER. MEMORY
Chapter 5
Memory 1: After telling his parents about his dream, Jonas is told that he must treat the Stirrings by taking a pill every morning. The pill makes the feeling of wanting disappear. On his way to school, Jonas thinks that he had actually liked the feeling in his dream and tries to remember it. But he finds that he can no longer remember; his memory of the feeling has vanished.
Chapter 10
Memory 2: After explaining to Jonas that he has within him all the memories of the past, The Giver says that the memories are a burden he must carry. The burden is so heavy and oppressive that it wearies and ages him.
Chapter 11
Memory 3: Having given Jonas a memory of snow and sled, The Giver confesses that transmitting even that small memory has slightly eased his burden. Although he has others, he no longer has that specific memory; it has become something that Jonas must keep within himself.
Chapter 12
Memory 4: The first memory Jonas receives from The Giver comes back to him in dreams. He repeatedly dreams about sledding down the snowy hill.
Chapter 13
Memory 5: One day, Jonas is given a sad memory of an elephant being brutally slaughtered. It is his very first "disturbing" memory from which he learns about real "grief and rage."
Memory 6: Long ago, everyone had ready access to memories, but now, memories are kept only by the Receiver. Ten years ago, with the failure of the new Receiver, memories had been let loose, and people had been able to access them. There had been chaos because people could not handle the pain and the sorrow that some of the memories brought.
Memory 7: When Jonas tells The Giver what he has learned in school about how the brain works, The Giver comments bitterly that without memories, everything is "meaningless."
Chapter 14
Memory 8: For the first time, The Giver gives Jonas a memory of great physical pain. It is a memory in which he is sledding downhill uncontrollably until he is thrown into the air, eventually falling on the ground. It is a memory that gives Jonas an understanding of true physical pain, something the rest of the citizens in the community never feel. Whenever there are accidents, people are immediately given medication or shots to ease their pain. When Jonas asks for relief-of-pain after the memory, however, The Giver refuses to give it to him.
Memory 9: Jonas cannot understand why he must keep memories. The Giver explains to him that memories give wisdom which he needs in order to advise the rest of the Elders on issues. When the Committee was considering increasing the population in the community, The Giver had advised against it, thinking of the various memories he had of destruction that had followed starvation. When the unknown aircraft flew over the community, The Giver had told the Committee to wait before shooting it down, thinking of memories in which people had destroyed one another in fear and in haste. Like this, memories give wisdom by providing insights to the past.
Memory 10: When Gabriel fusses at night, Jonas unwittingly gives the baby a memory of breeze, lake, and a sailboat. The calm, peaceful memory helps Gabriel sleep more soundly at night.
Chapter 15
Memory 11: The Giver gives Jonas a memory of death and warfare. Jonas watches as a young boy slowlydies before his eyes. It is a memory that has been torturing The Giver. After giving it to Jonas, The Giver asks to be forgiven for having imparted such great anguish and pain to Jonas.
Chapter 16
Memory 12: Although he must give Jonas painful memories, The Giver also transmits many good memories to him that teach Jonas the value of human-animal bonds and the joys of solitude.
Memory 13: The Giver also gives Jonas his personal favorite memory. It is a memory of family, presents, food, and warmth. Jonas understands "love" through this memory.
Memory 14: Through memories, Jonas sees that there are other ways to live. He understands that although the way of living in the community is carefully planned and practical, there have been other ways of doing things in the past. In The Giver's favorite memory, Jonas sees that grandparents live with the rest of the family. In the community, the elderly live by themselves at the House of the Old.
Memory 15: As a result of the memories he has been receiving, Jonas comes to decide not to take the morning pills that make Stirrings disappear.
Chapter 17
Memory 16: The memories also enable Jonas to experience new feelings at greater depth. Having seen things like colors and oceans, Jonas realizes that the kind of feelings his family and other citizens in the community feel are not genuine-only shallow feelings.
Memory 17: Jonas is sad and lonely that he cannot share his love with his friends-Asher and Fiona. He has come to feel love for them through the memories, but his friends are unable to feel such things because they do not have access to the memories.
Chapter 18
Memory 18: Telling Jonas the story of Rosemary, the failed Receiver ten years ago, The Giver explains that memories are "forever." If Jonas were to be lost in the river, his memories would still live on. They would somehow find their way back to the people in the community just as Rosemary's had when she had been released.
Chapter 19
Memory 19: Watching the release of the smaller twin baby, Jonas recognizes that the baby has died just as the young boy had in the memory of warfare. The earlier memory helps him realize that his father has killed the infant.
Chapter 20
Memory 20: Through memories that show times when things were different and people felt real feelings, The Giver has come to realize that he and Jonas should try to change the community. The Giver understands that memories are best shared among people.
Memory 21: A memory that The Giver has been keeping to himself is that of music or the Capacity to Hear Beyond. Jonas had begun to see colors before receiving his Assignment. When he had been Jonas's age, The Giver had started to hear music.
Chapter 21
Memory 22: Jonas uses different memories he has received from The Giver to help him out on his difficult journey. Using memories of exhaustion, he helps Gabriel sleep. With memories of snow, he eludes the searchers who fly over them, using special devices to find them by detecting their body warmth. The farther he goes away from the community, however, Jonas can feel his memories becoming increasingly vague and faint. He knows that he is shedding them as they make their way back to the people of the community.
Chapter 23
Memory 23: Jonas tries to hold on to the memory of sunshine in order to warm himself and Gabriel from the cold, but the memory is faint at best. He is ready to give up, but memories of his family, friends, and The Giver sustain him.
Memory 24: Reaching the top of the hill, Jonas thinks to himself that he remembers the place. But the memory of the place is different from other memories he has struggled to hold onto. It is a "memory of his own" that he can keep.
THE GIVER. MAJOR CHARACTERS
Jonas: Jonas is the pale-eyed Eleven who is chosen to become the next Receiver of Memories in the community. His Assignment is the most honored and respected one, and Jonas has the intelligence, integrity, and courage needed to become a Receiver. As he begins his training with The Giver and slowly understands the truth about the community, however, Jonas feels that things must change. Planning together with The Giver, Jonas decides to flee the community forever in order to unleash all the memories that have been kept from the citizens for so long.
The Receiver/ The Giver : As the most venerated and regarded Elder in the community, The Receiver has the access to all the memories of the past. The Receiver, later called 'The Giver' by Jonas, has similarly pale eyes like those of Jonas and of Gabriel. He trains Jonas to succeed him as the next Receiver of Memories. He is an old, grave man who has been wearied by the burden of carrying alone the sorrow and the pain that memories bring. Jonas makes him realize that the community needs to change, and he agrees to a plan that will make everyone have access to the memories of the past. To Jonas who is often confused and frustrated as a result of his training, The Giver is a paternal figure who provides guidance as well as wisdom.
Mother: Jonas's mother is an eminent official at the Department of Justice before whom offenders of rules are brought to be judged. She is responsible for upholding rules in the community. She works many hours even at home. Jonas's parents are a perfect match for one another in terms of 'disposition, energy level, intelligence, and interests.' Mother is more intelligent than Father, but Father has a calmer disposition.
Father: Jonas's father is a Nurturer at the Nurturing Center who takes care of children who are newly born. Shy and quiet, he has 'a calmer disposition' than that of Jonas's mother, although less intelligence. He appropriately complements her as a spouse.
Lily: Lily is Jonas's talkative little sister who is a Seven. At the December Ceremony, she becomes an Eight who wears a jacket that newly identifies her as an Eight and starts her volunteer activities in the community. To Jonas, it seems that 'Lily's feelings [are] always straightforward, fairly simple, usually easy to resolve.'
Gabriel: Gabriel is a newchild who is one of the fifty being taken care of at the Nurturing Center. Gabriel is placed in the 'extra care section for supplementary nurturing' because he does not grow normally like other children and does not sleep well. Jonas's father brings Gabriel home at nights to spend time with the family. Like Jonas, Gabriel has pale eyes which are rare in the community where most of the citizens have dark eyes. Spending his nights at Jonas's family dwelling, Gabriel is able to sleep soundly by Jonas's bedside because Jonas gives him peaceful, serene memories to help him sleep. Later, however, Gabriel is chosen to be released from the community, and Jonas takes Gabriel to save him from being killed.
Asher: Asher is Jonas's best friend. He is clumsy, careless, and imprecise with words, but cheerful and good-humored. When he becomes a Twelve, Asher receives the Assignment of Assistant Director of Recreation. He and Jonas gradually grow distant as Jonas receives training and begins to understand the truth about the community.
Fiona: Fiona is Jonas's other friend. Her Assignment as a Twelve is that of a Caretaker of the Old at the House of the Old. Fiona is 'a sensitive, gentle girl' whom Jonas likes. At the end, however, Fiona also grows apart from Jonas because she cannot understand him and his Assignment as Receiver of Memories.
Rosemary: Rosemary was a girl Eleven who had been chosen to succeed The Giver as the next Receiver of Memories ten years ago. Although her training had begun well, it had eventually failed. She could not bear the pain and the sorrow of many of the memories that were being given to her. After training one day, she went to the Chief Elder to apply for a release from the community. When Rosemary was released, the memories she had been given came back to the community and to the people because memories are forever. The people of the community suffered as a result because they did not know how to cope with pain.
THE GIVE. MINOR CHARACTERS
Benjamin: Benjamin is the Eleven who has spent most of his volunteer hours at the Rehabilitation Center where injured people are treated. Because of his experience there, Benjamin is said to be as skilled as theDirectors at the Center, and his Assignment will most likely be at the Rehabilitation Center.
Larissa: Larissa is the old woman at the House of the Old whom Jonas helps bathe during his last volunteer hours. During her bath, Larissa tells Jonas about a Ceremony of Release they had for a man named Roberto earlier that day and another recent release for a woman named Edna. After meeting her, Jonas remembers 'her sparkling eyes, her soft voice, her low chuckle.' Later, he learns from Fiona that she has also been released.
Roberto: Roberto is an elderly man at the House of the Old whom Jonas had once helped feed. When Jonas goes again to the House of the Old and meets Larissa, she tells him that Roberto had been released earlier that day. During his release, his life as an Instructor of Elevens, a member of the Planning Committee, and a father of two successful children had been celebrated.
Edna: Edna is another elderly woman whom Larissa talks about. She had also been released recently, but her life telling had not been very interesting like Roberto's had been during his release. She had been a Birthmother, then a Laborer in Food Production. She hadn't even had a family.
Caleb: Caleb had been a cheerful child-a Four who was lost in the river. During the December Ceremony, a newchild is named Caleb in order to replace the Caleb who had been lost earlier. The community performs a Murmur-of-Replacement Ceremony during which people in the audience repeats the name 'Caleb,' getting louder and faster as if they are bringing the lost Caleb back.
Fritz: Fritz is an awkward, clumsy boy in the community. When he receives his bicycle as a Nine, Fritz immediately bumps into the podium. He is known for his minor careless mistakes, 'but each such error [reflects] negatively on his parents' guidance and [infringes] on the community's sense of order and success.'
Chief Elder: The Chief Elder is the leader of the community who is newly elected every ten years. At the December Ceremony, the Chief Elder makes speeches and gives out Assignments to the Elevens.
Committee of Elders: The Committee of Elders is a group of Elders in the community whose long robesdistinguish them from the rest of the citizens. The Elders make important decisions about matters concerning the community. They observe children during school hours as well as during recreation and volunteer hours in order to give them their appropriate Assignments. The Elders also observe citizens to match them with appropriate spouses and assign them to children. The Giver who is also a member of the Committee occasionally meets with the other Elders to give them advice when they need counsel on things that are new or unfamiliar to them.
Pierre: Pierre is a fellow Eleven whose number is Twenty. Jonas does not like Pierre very much because he is 'very serious, not much fun, and a worrier and tattletale.' He is always worried about abiding by the most trivial rules in the community. During the ceremony, the Chief Elder skips Jonas to give Pierre his Assignment.
Madeline: Madeline is a female Eleven who is Number One. As the first born newchild during her year, Madeline is given her Assignment first as a Fish Hatchery Attendant. Jonas thinks that he would not have liked Madeline's Assignment.
Inger : Inger is a female Eleven who is Number Two. She is assigned as a Birthmother. Jonas thinks that this is an appropriate Assignment for Inger who is 'nice,' but 'lazy'
Issac: Issac, Three, is given an Assignment as Instructor of Sixes.
Katherine : Katharine is a Six who has pale eyes like those of Jonas. Like The Giver and Jonas who both have pale eyes, it is expected that she will also be selected to become a Receiver in the future.
THE GIVER...
Where Jonas lives, life is safe, orderly, and predictable. Rules are strictly adhered to; every aspect of a person's life is carefully planned. People rarely make choices on their own; everything is decided for them by the community. There is no snow or sunshine, no colors or music, no animals or nature.
People in the community take special care to avoid doing or saying anything different. In the community, one must not say anything that causes discomfort to others, and one must use language precisely. Husbands and wives are matched as couples by a Committee of Elders who reviews each individual to see if a person's characteristics will be compatible with those of his mate. Exactly two children-one male and one female-are assigned to each family unit. The elderly live at the House of the Old. Those whose children have grown to have families of their own live with other Childless Adults. Newborn infants are nurtured at the Nurturing Center until they become Ones and are assigned to family units.
When Jonas and other Elevens become Twelves in December, they receive their Assignments that assign them to their particular fields of profession. As someone with intelligence, integrity, courage, and a certain special capacity, Jonas is selected for the most honored and respected Assignment in the community. He is assigned to become a Receiver of Memories who will succeed the current Receiver. A Receiver of Memories is the one person in the community who has access to all the memories of the past. He must keep these memories within himself until he can train a new Receiver to whom he can pass them. Thus, the Receiver has knowledge of things that no one in the community has access to, but the Receiver also has the responsibility to shoulder the burden of sorrow and pain that the memories bring.
Jonas begins his training with the Receiver whom he calls THE GIVER. At first, The Giver gives Jonas happy memories of the past-memories of things Jonas has never known. Jonas is eager and excited to be able to experience new things. But THE GIVE must also give Jonas memories of loneliness, fear, grief, rage, and pain-all of which he has never felt in the community. Gradually, through the memories he receives from THE GIVER, Jonas comes to realize the various truths about the community. He realizes that it is unfair to deprive people of ever being able to make choices for themselves about their own lives. He understands that the people of the community have no genuine feelings. Feelings have never been a part of their lives. He also learns that there are different ways to live. Through the memories, he sees people in the past livingdifferently, and feels that the community must change.
Together with THE GIVER Jonas comes up with a plan to change the entire community. He decides to flee the community for the Elsewhere, a place he has only heard about that lies far beyond. If Jonas leaves, the memories he has received from THE GIVER will be let loose. They will find their way back to the community and to the people. The people will have ready access to the memories that will, in turn, give them knowledge about things that have been missing in their lives. They will come to the same kind of awakening that Jonas did when he was given memories of the past from THE GIVER.
Jonas departs for the long and difficult journey during which he faces cold and starvation as well as the danger of being found. Seeing lights in the far distance after having come a long way, Jonas is confident that he has reached his destination.
Born on March 20, 1937 in Honolulu, Hawaii, Lois Lowry was the second daughter of Robert Hammersberg, an army dentist, and Katharine Landis, the daughter of a Pennsylvanian banker. The Hammersberg family moved constantly, living in different places because of Robert Hammersberg's career in the army. When Lois was two, the family moved to the father's assignment in New York City.
Lowry taught herself to read and write, and she later described herself as "an intellectual snob at the age of three." Life at home was harmonious with a mother who constantly read aloud and a father who told stories about his childhood. However, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the United States went to war, and in 1941, the family was separated from their father who was sent off to war.
With her children, Katharine Landis returned to her hometown in Pennsylvania to her family and relatives. There, Lowry shared a special relationship with her affectionate grandfather and the cook of the family, Fleta. Soon after, a baby brother was born, and Lowry started school. At school, Lowry, having already mastered reading and writing, was constantly ahead of other children as a result of which she was able to skip the second grade. Lowry's childhood was a warm, happy one despite the fact that it was in the middle of the World War II. As a girl, she loved making trips to the local public library, and was convinced that she would become a writer some day.
After the war ended, the family once again relocated. This time, Katharine Landis took her children to Japan where her husband had been living and stationed since the war. Lowry attended the English-speaking Meguro School in Tokyo with her older sister Helen. The family lived in Washington Heights where the families of other US army officials lived. Lowry welcomed the chance to be reunited with her father in Japan whose absence had made her long for him. After a two-year stay in Japan, however, the Korean War broke out, and the family was again separated from their father, heading back to Pennsylvania. Lowry's stay in Pennsylvania was not to be a long one, however. Robert Hammersberg shortly followed his family to the United States, taking them back to New York where his new assignment was to be. Lois first attended Curtis High School, a public high school on Staten Island, and later transferred to a private girls' school in Brooklyn called Packer Collegiate Institute. In high school, Lowry was a shy and reserved student who loved to read and write.
After high school, Lowry attended Brown University which had offered her a scholarship and acceptance into its honors writing program. She met her future husband at Brown-Donald Grey Lowry who later persuaded her to discontinue her education and marry him. Donald Lowry was an officer in the United States Navy, so Lowry's married life was no different from the rest of her life in that it was spent in manydifferent places. By the age of twenty-five, she had had four children. Later, Donald Lowry enrolled at Harvard Law School, and the family lived in Cambridge. During her time at Cambridge, Lowry received word from her sister Helen that she was dying of cancer. Although she repeatedly made plans to go see her sister at Washington DC, Lowry was never able to see her again alive.
After Donald Lowry graduated from law school, the family moved to Maine where Lowry spent most of her time raising her children and taking care of her family. She was a disciplinary, but affectionate mother. When her youngest child started attending school, Lowry decided to continue her education at the University of Southern Maine where she earned her BA and started her Masters degree. She actively began writing nonfiction articles as well as short stories for newspapers and magazines. Upon the urging of an editor from Houghton Mifflin, a publishing company based in Boston, Lowry started writing what would eventually become her first novel, A Summer to Die. A story about two sisters one of whom faces imminent death from illness, the book that had been inspired by the death of her own sister earner Lowry much acclaim. With success in career, however, came failure in marriage. The same year her book was published, Lowry's marriage to Donald Lowry ended.
After the divorce, Lois eventually moved to Boston where she actively began writing for young people. She has written books that reflect the realities of her own life and depict various problems about coming of age. Her third novel Autumn Street was a autobiographical piece of work that portrayed a family living in Pennsylvania during the war. It was a serious piece of work after which Lois decided to write a happier, lighter work. This was the start of her famous Anastasia Krupnik series about a girl growing up in Cambridge. Number the Stars was, however, the book that earned the author wide acclaim as well as a Newbery Award. It was a book based on a factual account of a Danish woman she had met in Maine. Shedid extensive historical research and even made a trip to Denmark in order to feel what her characters would in the book.
If Number the Stars was a book about the past, her next work The Giver was a book about the future. It earned Lowry her second Newbery Medal in 1994. Upon receiving the award, Lowry explained that some of her life experiences and events had led her to the writing of the novel. Her years in Japan as well as her college days at Brown had all helped her write the book. There were specific events in her life such as a trip to Germany and a visit to her father in a nursing home that had led her to think about issues such as pain, memories, and choices-themes that run throughout The Giver.
Lowry says that her reason for writing for young people is that she likes remembering her own life as a child while writing. Another reason is that much of her early adulthood was spent taking care of and thinking about the lives of her four children. Her experiences with her children taught her the importance of "treating young people with sensitivity and compassion."
THE GIVER. OBJECTS AND/OR PLACES
Community: The community refers to where Jonas and the rest of the citizens live. There are said to be similar communities nearby.
Speaker: There are speakers in family dwellings and all throughout the community that make announcements and reminders. Only The Giver is able to turn these speakers off when he wishes.
Newchild: A newchild is a newly born child who is taken care of by the Nurturers at the Nurturing Center until they become Ones. There are always fifty newchildren each year, and when they become Ones at the December Ceremony, they are named and given to families.
Evening telling of Feelings: The evening telling of feelings is one of the many rituals in every family dwelling. Each member of the family takes turns to talk about his or her feelings regarding what has happened earlier that day.
Nurturer: A Nurturer works at the Nurturing Center taking care of newchildren. Jonas's father is a Nurturer. Night-crew Nurturers, on the other hand, are people who '[lack] the interest or skills or insight for the more vital jobs of the daytime hours.'
Release : A release is the worst punishment in the community. When people are released, they are sent Elsewhere, never to be seen again. There are, however, two occasions when the release is not a punishment-the release of the elderly and the release of newchildren. When an elderly person is released, there is a celebration during which the person's life is told before others at the House of the Old. No one knows what exactly happens to the person when he or she is released, but after the telling, the person walks through a special door in the Releasing Room, never to be seen again. Newchildren are released from the community if they are unable to grow normally. When newchildren are released, it is not a celebration, but rather a sad occasion because they have not yet had a chance to live within the community. Later, Jonasdiscovers that when a person is released, he or she is actually being put to sleep.
Department of Justice: The Department of Justice is where Jonas's mother works, and it is a place where offenders of the law are brought to be judged. It is a place that upholds rules in the community.
Ceremony in December (Ceremony of Twelve) : The Ceremony in December is a yearly ceremony held every December. It is when newchildren become Ones, Ones become Twos, until Elevens become Twelves. When Elevens become Twelves, they receive Assignments which designate their roles in the community. Some become Birthmothers; others become Laborers or Instructors of children. Some are placed in the Rehabilitation Center or in the House of the Old.
Naming List : The Naming List is drafted by a committee, and it is a list of the names of all the newchildren who will become Ones during the Ceremony in December. It is a document that is kept in the Nurturing Center. Jonas's father takes a peek at the Naming List in order to learn Gabriel's name.
Assignments: When children become Twelves, they are given Assignments which designate their jobs in the community.
Comfort objects: Children who are not yet Eights are given comfort objects that they sleep with. When they become Eights, their comfort objects are taken away to be recycled to younger children. Many comfort objects are 'soft, stuffed, imaginary creatures' such as elephants and bears.
Birthmothers: Some females receive Assignments in the community as Birthmothers. For three years, they give three births after which they spend the rest of their lives as Laborers. When Lily says that birthmothers are fortunate to get good food and time to 'play and amuse themselves,' Jonas's mother tells Lily that 'there is very little honor' in being a Birthmother. Although Birthmothers give births, they do not even get the chance to see their newchildren.
Apple: One day during the recreation period, Jonas sees an apple change in a strange way. He is playing catch with Asher, and Jonas sees the apple change in mid-air. Later, Jonas learns from The Giver that this had been his first time seeing the color red.
Rehabilitation Center: The Rehabilitation Center is where citizens go when they are injured. An Eleven named Benjamin who has spent many of his volunteer hours there is said to be as skilled as the directors at the Center. That he will most likely be assigned to the field of Rehabilitation is little disputed in the community.
House of the Old: The House of the Old is where the elderly citizens live in the community. It is a peaceful, quiet place where its inhabitants spend time 'sitting quietly, some visiting and talking with one another, others doing handwork and simple crafts' in each of its well-furnished rooms.
Stirring: Talking about a dream he has had, Jonas explains that he was with Fiona. Wanting her to undress herself and enter a bathtub, Jonas had felt 'a wanting' in his dream. When he tells his parents about the dream, they tell him that he has had his first Stirring which usually begins with a dream. In the community, everyone must report Stirrings and take pills to treat them and make them disappear.
Ritual of Telling Dreams: The telling of dreams is a morning ritual when every member of the family tells his or her dreams. Everyone listens carefully and discusses with one another what the dreams might have signified. Usually, Jonas does not have much to say because he rarely dreams.
Front-buttoned jacket: Children get front-buttoned jackets when they become Sevens. As the 'first sign of independence...[and] the first very visible symbol of growing up,' the jackets have buttons in the front. Fours, Fives, and Sixes wear jackets that have buttons in the back so that they will learn to depend on one another to dress themselves.
Family Unit/ Family dwelling : A family unit in the community consists of parents and exactly two children-one boy and one girl. The family lives together until the children grow old enough to have families of their own. The parents, then, go and live with other Childless Adults and eventually go to the House of the Old where they will spend the rest of their lives until being released. Newchildren are assigned to their family units when they become Ones at the Ceremony in December.
Ceremony of Loss: When a Four named Caleb had been lost in the river, the community performed the Ceremony of Loss, repeating Caleb's name, getting softer and less frequent 'so that the little Four seemed to fade away gradually from everyone's consciousness.'
Matching of Spouses: The Committee of Elders does Matching of Spouses. An adult applies for a spouse, and the Committee must approve the Match. Sometimes, an adult waits for a long period of time before being given a spouse. Factors such as 'disposition, energy level, intelligence, and interests' must be compatible.
Placement of newchildren: The Committee of Elders also oversees Placement of newchildren in family units. The Committee observes couples for three years before granting them the permission to apply for children. Both Matching of Spouses as well as Placement of newchildren are done with much consideration and care by the Committee.
Smacks: In the community, there is a disciplinary system of smacks for small children. Children who misbehave are given smacks with 'a thin, flexible weapon that [stings] painfully' by childcare specialists. Children are given one smack on the hands for a minor offense and three smacks on the legs for a second offense.
Name Not-to-Be-Spoken: In the community, there are names that are designated Not-to-Be-Spoken. As the 'highest degree of disgrace,' the name is to be never mentioned nor used again for a newchild. The name of the Eleven who had been selected to become a Receiver ten years ago is a name Not-to-Be-Spoken.
The Annex: The Annex is The Giver's dwelling behind the House of the Old. This is where Jonas begins to receive his training. When one pushes the buzzer, one is let in by a female Attendant. A door leads to The Giver's room, and it is the only one locked in the community where no doors are ever locked. The receptionist explains to Jonas who is puzzled that it is to 'ensure The Receiver's privacy.'
Memory: The Giver explains to Jonas that Jonas's Assignment as the next Receiver is to receive memories from The Giver. He tells Jonas that they are not simply memories of The Giver's past, but 'the memories of the whole world... generations before...that [go] beyond-all that is Elsewhere-and all that [go] back, and back, and back.' As a Receiver, The Giver received them, and memories are 'how wisdom comes... and how [people] shape [their] future.' They are also what weary and burden The Giver who must keep all of them to himself.
Sled/Snow: The first memory that Jonas receives from The Giver is that of going down a snow-covered hill on a sled.
Sameness: With Sameness being instituted, people in the community eventually did not have to make any choices. Everything was made to be the same. People's skin, hair, and eye colors were mostly the same. There were no colors or music, nor changes in weather. By being given memories, Jonas understands what the world was like before Sameness.
Color (red): When Jonas first begins to see colors, he sees the color red. First he sees it in an apple that he throws around with Asher one day during recreation period. He also sees it in Fiona's red hair as she walks away from him. Upon being instructed by The Giver, Jonas sees that the sled from the first memory he had been given is also red.
Capacity to See beyond: When the Chief Elder speaks about Jonas's special Assignment as the Receiver of Memories during the Ceremony in December, she says that one last quality necessary for the Receiver is a Capacity to See Beyond. Later, Jonas learns that this capacity was his ability to see colors. For The Giver, it had been a Capacity to Hear Beyond-his ability to listen to music.
Books: When Jonas first goes to The Giver to be trained, he notices that The Giver's room is filled with books. In his home as in other family dwellings, there are only books like the dictionary, books describing offices, factories, and other buildings, and the Book of Rules. He is surprised to see that there are other books as well. Later, The Giver tells him that as the Receiver of Memories, only Jonas and he will ever have access to these books in the community.
Elsewhere: Elsewhere is the place beyond the community. There are stories about people being sent or going Elsewhere, but no one in the community knows for certain that it is there. Asher talks about someone who swam across the river to join another community. According to the rules, it is possible to apply for a release to go Elsewhere. In general, when people are released, they go Elsewhere. Jonas first begins to wonder where Elsewhere exactly is and what it is like, but as his training continues, he comes to believe that there really is an Elsewhere where there are things that he merely sees in his memories. At the end, Jonas decides to flee the community and go seek the Elsewhere he has dreamed and thought about. If Jonas goes away, all the memories he has been given will be let loose for the citizens in the community. After his long, exhausting journey, Jonas sees lights and thinks that it is the Elsewhere he has longed for.
THE GIVER. FEELINGS
Chapter 1
Feelings 1: Jonas feels frightened when he encounters an unfamiliar scene in which an aircraft is flying over the community.
Feelings 2: Trying to precisely describe his feelings, Jonas decides that "frightened" is too strong a word. He decides that he is "apprehensive" about the upcoming December Ceremony.
Feelings 3: Every evening in family dwellings, family members share their feelings for the day. The rest of the family, in turn, helps to resolve them.
Feelings 4: Jonas must take pills every morning to stop the feeling of wanting, Stirrings, from coming back. Although he does as he is told, Jonas thinks that he had actually liked the feelings in his dreams.
Chapter 5
Feelings 5: The Committee decides to give Gabriel one more year to be nurtured at the Nurturing Center. Meanwhile, until next year, Gabriel will continue to spend his nights with Jonas's family. But, on the condition that Gabriel will stay at the family dwelling, Jonas's family must sign "pledges" that they will not become attached to the baby and will readily give him up when the time comes for Gabriel's assignment to another family.
Chapter 6
Feelings 6: When spouses are matched by the Committee of Elders, many factors such as "disposition, energy level, intelligence, and interests" are all considered, but the feelings of the people concerned are not mentioned.
Feelings 7: When the Chief Elder skips Jonas's Assignment, everyone in the audience becomes uncomfortable. Jonas feels an array of emotions that ranges from confusion to terror.
Chapter 8
Feelings 8: Jonas is happy and excited as he slides downhill on the sled. The snow makes him smile, and he enjoys the speedy ride.
Chapter 11
Feelings 9: After having been given his first memory of the sled ride, Jonas repeatedly dreams about going downhill on the sled. When he wakes, he feels like he wants to get to the destination that "lies beyond." He feels that it is a "good, welcoming, significant" place.
Chapter 12
Feelings 10: Jonas is given a memory in which an elephant is brutally killed by men. After the men cut off the tusks of the elephant and speed away, another elephant comes to the corpse, roaring in "grief and rage." Jonas learns about "grief and rage" as he sees the elephant mourning the slaughter of his friend.
Chapter 13
Feelings 11: After being given a memory in which he is thrown into the air by a speeding sled, Jonas experiences true physical pain and agony. Unable to share his experience with the rest of his family, Jonas is lonely.
Chapter 14
Feelings 12: When Jonas asks his parents whether or not they love him, they explain to him that "love" is an outdated form of expression. They are proud of him and they enjoy his company, but they say that it is inappropriate to use the word "love" to describe their feelings for him. "Love" is not a feeling that they know.
Feelings 13: Jonas decides not to take the pills anymore. He wants the Stirrings, the feelings of wanting, to come back.
Chapter 16
Feelings 14: Although he feels guilty about the Stirrings that have returned as a result of his not taking the pills, Jonas thinks to himself that he cannot return to not being able to feel things.
Feelings 15: As a result of the memories he is receiving, Jonas thinks that he is experiencing feelings he has never felt before at a newer "depth." He realizes that the kinds of feelings that Mother, Father, and Lily feel are not genuine; they are only shallow feelings.
Feelings 16: Asher is annoyed that Jonas has ruined their game of war. Although Jonas tries to explain to him that it is actually a cruel game, Asher does not listen. Understanding that he knows things that Asher and Fiona can never know, Jonas "is overwhelmed by sadness." Having been given memories, he knows how to feel love, but he realizes that Asher and Fiona cannot feel it.
Chapter 17
Feelings 17: The Giver explains that he loved Rosemary just as he loves Jonas now. Unlike others, The Giver and Jonas are capable of feeling "love."
Chapter 18
Feelings 18: Jonas finally learns that when people are released, they are actually killed. The Giver explains that Fiona is already training to perform releases. Feelings have no place in her life; she has never learned them.
Chapter 20
Feelings 19: Trying to comfort Jonas who has just learned about releases, The Giver explains that they will make a plan to change the community. There are memories of times when people once felt things like pride, sorrow, and love, and The Giver realizes that the community should change.
Feelings 20: As Jonas continues his journey, he faces new, uninhabited territory as well as new wildlife creatures he has never before seen. He also faces new feelings within himself such as happiness at being in a "new landscape" and fear of starvation.
Chapter 22
Feelings 21: Starving and tired, Jonas thinks for a second that perhaps he has made a mistake in leaving the community. He would not be starving in the community. But he quickly reminds himself that if he had stayed, he would have starved in other ways. He would have starved for "feelings, for color, for love."
THE GIVER. RULES
Chapter 1
Rules 1: In the community where Jonas lives, a rigid set of rules dictates and regulates every moment of the lives of its citizens. Although there are few exceptions, People in the community strictly adhere to the rules. When rules are violated or anything out of the ordinary happens, the citizens often become uneasy and nervous. The importance of rules is established from the very beginning of the story. Jonas is scared to see an unknown aircraft in the sky because according to the rules, planes are usually prohibited from flying over the community.
Rules 2: Adhering to the rules of the community, Asher makes an apology to the entire class when he is tardy. Precision of language is also an important rule; one must say exactly what he means. When Asher uses the word "distraught" inappropriately, he is immediately corrected by the instructor.
Rules 3: Lily confesses to having felt angry when someone from another community came and broke the rules. Like Lily, many citizens express discomfort when rules are broken.
Rules 4: Another rule is that every family unit must have exactly two children-one female and one male. When Lily jokes about keeping Gabriel, Mother reminds her of the rules.
Rules 5: Offenders of rules are brought before people like Mother who works at the Department of Justice. For offenders, there are no third chances. Once someone commits a third offense, he is released from the community.
Chapter 2
Rules 6: Father confesses to having broken a rule and peeked at the Naming List of the newchildren to learn Gabriel's name. Compared to other offenses, however, this is minor and less serious.
Rules 7: There is a rule regarding riding bicycles. One is not allowed to ride bicycles until one becomes a Nine. However, it is a rule that is often broken, and there is much talk about changing it. A committee is examining the issue, but it is difficult to change rules in the community.
Rules 8: Comfort objects are given to every newchild, but according to the rules, they are taken away when children become Eights.
Chapter 3
Rules 9: In the community, there are also unspoken codes of behavior. They are not rules, but they are often as strictly adhered to and established as rules are. For example, people do not usually like to mention things that are different about others in order to avoid being impolite.
Rules 10: When Jonas once breaks a rule, he is immediately chastised by an announcement through the speakers. When he takes the apple home after seeing it change at the Recreational Center, an announcement is made to all male Elevens that things are not to be taken from the Recreation area. Although Jonas is not specifically mentioned, Jonas understands that the announcement is directed at him.
Chapter 4
Rules 11: There are also rules against bragging in the community. Thus, Jonas cannot talk to Benjamin about Benjamin's accomplishments at the Rehabilitation Center.
Rules 12: There are rules that specify how many volunteering hours one must complete in order to receive his Assignment as a Twelve. Long time ago, when an Eleven did not finish his volunteer hours, he had not been given his Assignment at the Ceremony, but had had to receive it separately.
Rules 13: The rules dictate that people in the community must not look at one another's nakedness, but the elderly and the newchildren are an exception from this rule.
Chapter 5
Rules 14: One must treat Stirrings by taking pills every morning. Although Jonas knows that Asher is already taking the pills, he has never mentioned it to Asher because it is rude to discuss what is different about someone else.
Chapter 6
Rules 15: There are things that each age group is allowed to do and wear. Fours, Fives, and Sixes must wear jackets that are buttoned in the back. Sevens can start volunteering and wearing front-buttoned jackets. Nines start riding bicycles. Every stage of one's life in the community is organized and controlled.
Rules 16: Similarly, Elevens start wearing new clothes that are appropriately designed for their changing bodies and activities.
Rules 17: Although no one knows for certain whether or not Elsewhere exists, the rules say that it is possible to ask to be released and go Elsewhere. Things in the community are so carefully organized and controlled, however, that Jonas finds it hard to believe that anyone would want to be released. There are even rules regarding such things as matching spouses or assigning children to families.
Chapter 7
Rules 18: Because of the rule regarding precision of language, Asher must be punished with smacks although he has really asked for snacks.
Chapter 8
Rules 19: When the Chief Elder mentions the failure of the Receiver ten years ago, everyone is uncomfortable. As a general rule, things that are "unsettling or different" are not talked about in the community so the Chief Elder chooses not to discuss it further.
Chapter 9
Rules 20: When Jonas becomes a Twelve and is given his Assignment, he is given a new set of rules that he must follow.
Chapter 10
Rules 21: Doors are never locked in the community, but Jonas notices that the door leading into The Giver's room is locked. He is confused and uneasy about this violation of rules, but the Attendant quickly reassures him that it is only to ensure The Giver's privacy.
Chapter 13
Rules 22: Although not a rule, people generally do not touch others who are not their family. When Jonas touches Asher, trying to give him a memory of the color red, Asher becomes uncomfortable that Jonas is not adhering to this code of conduct.
Chapter 16
Rules 23: Abiding by the rule of precision of language, Jonas's parents explain to him that "love" is an inappropriate word to use when describing their feelings toward him.
THE GIVER. MEMORY
Chapter 5
Memory 1: After telling his parents about his dream, Jonas is told that he must treat the Stirrings by taking a pill every morning. The pill makes the feeling of wanting disappear. On his way to school, Jonas thinks that he had actually liked the feeling in his dream and tries to remember it. But he finds that he can no longer remember; his memory of the feeling has vanished.
Chapter 10
Memory 2: After explaining to Jonas that he has within him all the memories of the past, The Giver says that the memories are a burden he must carry. The burden is so heavy and oppressive that it wearies and ages him.
Chapter 11
Memory 3: Having given Jonas a memory of snow and sled, The Giver confesses that transmitting even that small memory has slightly eased his burden. Although he has others, he no longer has that specific memory; it has become something that Jonas must keep within himself.
Chapter 12
Memory 4: The first memory Jonas receives from The Giver comes back to him in dreams. He repeatedly dreams about sledding down the snowy hill.
Chapter 13
Memory 5: One day, Jonas is given a sad memory of an elephant being brutally slaughtered. It is his very first "disturbing" memory from which he learns about real "grief and rage."
Memory 6: Long ago, everyone had ready access to memories, but now, memories are kept only by the Receiver. Ten years ago, with the failure of the new Receiver, memories had been let loose, and people had been able to access them. There had been chaos because people could not handle the pain and the sorrow that some of the memories brought.
Memory 7: When Jonas tells The Giver what he has learned in school about how the brain works, The Giver comments bitterly that without memories, everything is "meaningless."
Chapter 14
Memory 8: For the first time, The Giver gives Jonas a memory of great physical pain. It is a memory in which he is sledding downhill uncontrollably until he is thrown into the air, eventually falling on the ground. It is a memory that gives Jonas an understanding of true physical pain, something the rest of the citizens in the community never feel. Whenever there are accidents, people are immediately given medication or shots to ease their pain. When Jonas asks for relief-of-pain after the memory, however, The Giver refuses to give it to him.
Memory 9: Jonas cannot understand why he must keep memories. The Giver explains to him that memories give wisdom which he needs in order to advise the rest of the Elders on issues. When the Committee was considering increasing the population in the community, The Giver had advised against it, thinking of the various memories he had of destruction that had followed starvation. When the unknown aircraft flew over the community, The Giver had told the Committee to wait before shooting it down, thinking of memories in which people had destroyed one another in fear and in haste. Like this, memories give wisdom by providing insights to the past.
Memory 10: When Gabriel fusses at night, Jonas unwittingly gives the baby a memory of breeze, lake, and a sailboat. The calm, peaceful memory helps Gabriel sleep more soundly at night.
Chapter 15
Memory 11: The Giver gives Jonas a memory of death and warfare. Jonas watches as a young boy slowlydies before his eyes. It is a memory that has been torturing The Giver. After giving it to Jonas, The Giver asks to be forgiven for having imparted such great anguish and pain to Jonas.
Chapter 16
Memory 12: Although he must give Jonas painful memories, The Giver also transmits many good memories to him that teach Jonas the value of human-animal bonds and the joys of solitude.
Memory 13: The Giver also gives Jonas his personal favorite memory. It is a memory of family, presents, food, and warmth. Jonas understands "love" through this memory.
Memory 14: Through memories, Jonas sees that there are other ways to live. He understands that although the way of living in the community is carefully planned and practical, there have been other ways of doing things in the past. In The Giver's favorite memory, Jonas sees that grandparents live with the rest of the family. In the community, the elderly live by themselves at the House of the Old.
Memory 15: As a result of the memories he has been receiving, Jonas comes to decide not to take the morning pills that make Stirrings disappear.
Chapter 17
Memory 16: The memories also enable Jonas to experience new feelings at greater depth. Having seen things like colors and oceans, Jonas realizes that the kind of feelings his family and other citizens in the community feel are not genuine-only shallow feelings.
Memory 17: Jonas is sad and lonely that he cannot share his love with his friends-Asher and Fiona. He has come to feel love for them through the memories, but his friends are unable to feel such things because they do not have access to the memories.
Chapter 18
Memory 18: Telling Jonas the story of Rosemary, the failed Receiver ten years ago, The Giver explains that memories are "forever." If Jonas were to be lost in the river, his memories would still live on. They would somehow find their way back to the people in the community just as Rosemary's had when she had been released.
Chapter 19
Memory 19: Watching the release of the smaller twin baby, Jonas recognizes that the baby has died just as the young boy had in the memory of warfare. The earlier memory helps him realize that his father has killed the infant.
Chapter 20
Memory 20: Through memories that show times when things were different and people felt real feelings, The Giver has come to realize that he and Jonas should try to change the community. The Giver understands that memories are best shared among people.
Memory 21: A memory that The Giver has been keeping to himself is that of music or the Capacity to Hear Beyond. Jonas had begun to see colors before receiving his Assignment. When he had been Jonas's age, The Giver had started to hear music.
Chapter 21
Memory 22: Jonas uses different memories he has received from The Giver to help him out on his difficult journey. Using memories of exhaustion, he helps Gabriel sleep. With memories of snow, he eludes the searchers who fly over them, using special devices to find them by detecting their body warmth. The farther he goes away from the community, however, Jonas can feel his memories becoming increasingly vague and faint. He knows that he is shedding them as they make their way back to the people of the community.
Chapter 23
Memory 23: Jonas tries to hold on to the memory of sunshine in order to warm himself and Gabriel from the cold, but the memory is faint at best. He is ready to give up, but memories of his family, friends, and The Giver sustain him.
Memory 24: Reaching the top of the hill, Jonas thinks to himself that he remembers the place. But the memory of the place is different from other memories he has struggled to hold onto. It is a "memory of his own" that he can keep.
THE GIVER. MAJOR CHARACTERS
Jonas: Jonas is the pale-eyed Eleven who is chosen to become the next Receiver of Memories in the community. His Assignment is the most honored and respected one, and Jonas has the intelligence, integrity, and courage needed to become a Receiver. As he begins his training with The Giver and slowly understands the truth about the community, however, Jonas feels that things must change. Planning together with The Giver, Jonas decides to flee the community forever in order to unleash all the memories that have been kept from the citizens for so long.
The Receiver/ The Giver : As the most venerated and regarded Elder in the community, The Receiver has the access to all the memories of the past. The Receiver, later called 'The Giver' by Jonas, has similarly pale eyes like those of Jonas and of Gabriel. He trains Jonas to succeed him as the next Receiver of Memories. He is an old, grave man who has been wearied by the burden of carrying alone the sorrow and the pain that memories bring. Jonas makes him realize that the community needs to change, and he agrees to a plan that will make everyone have access to the memories of the past. To Jonas who is often confused and frustrated as a result of his training, The Giver is a paternal figure who provides guidance as well as wisdom.
Mother: Jonas's mother is an eminent official at the Department of Justice before whom offenders of rules are brought to be judged. She is responsible for upholding rules in the community. She works many hours even at home. Jonas's parents are a perfect match for one another in terms of 'disposition, energy level, intelligence, and interests.' Mother is more intelligent than Father, but Father has a calmer disposition.
Father: Jonas's father is a Nurturer at the Nurturing Center who takes care of children who are newly born. Shy and quiet, he has 'a calmer disposition' than that of Jonas's mother, although less intelligence. He appropriately complements her as a spouse.
Lily: Lily is Jonas's talkative little sister who is a Seven. At the December Ceremony, she becomes an Eight who wears a jacket that newly identifies her as an Eight and starts her volunteer activities in the community. To Jonas, it seems that 'Lily's feelings [are] always straightforward, fairly simple, usually easy to resolve.'
Gabriel: Gabriel is a newchild who is one of the fifty being taken care of at the Nurturing Center. Gabriel is placed in the 'extra care section for supplementary nurturing' because he does not grow normally like other children and does not sleep well. Jonas's father brings Gabriel home at nights to spend time with the family. Like Jonas, Gabriel has pale eyes which are rare in the community where most of the citizens have dark eyes. Spending his nights at Jonas's family dwelling, Gabriel is able to sleep soundly by Jonas's bedside because Jonas gives him peaceful, serene memories to help him sleep. Later, however, Gabriel is chosen to be released from the community, and Jonas takes Gabriel to save him from being killed.
Asher: Asher is Jonas's best friend. He is clumsy, careless, and imprecise with words, but cheerful and good-humored. When he becomes a Twelve, Asher receives the Assignment of Assistant Director of Recreation. He and Jonas gradually grow distant as Jonas receives training and begins to understand the truth about the community.
Fiona: Fiona is Jonas's other friend. Her Assignment as a Twelve is that of a Caretaker of the Old at the House of the Old. Fiona is 'a sensitive, gentle girl' whom Jonas likes. At the end, however, Fiona also grows apart from Jonas because she cannot understand him and his Assignment as Receiver of Memories.
Rosemary: Rosemary was a girl Eleven who had been chosen to succeed The Giver as the next Receiver of Memories ten years ago. Although her training had begun well, it had eventually failed. She could not bear the pain and the sorrow of many of the memories that were being given to her. After training one day, she went to the Chief Elder to apply for a release from the community. When Rosemary was released, the memories she had been given came back to the community and to the people because memories are forever. The people of the community suffered as a result because they did not know how to cope with pain.
THE GIVE. MINOR CHARACTERS
Benjamin: Benjamin is the Eleven who has spent most of his volunteer hours at the Rehabilitation Center where injured people are treated. Because of his experience there, Benjamin is said to be as skilled as theDirectors at the Center, and his Assignment will most likely be at the Rehabilitation Center.
Larissa: Larissa is the old woman at the House of the Old whom Jonas helps bathe during his last volunteer hours. During her bath, Larissa tells Jonas about a Ceremony of Release they had for a man named Roberto earlier that day and another recent release for a woman named Edna. After meeting her, Jonas remembers 'her sparkling eyes, her soft voice, her low chuckle.' Later, he learns from Fiona that she has also been released.
Roberto: Roberto is an elderly man at the House of the Old whom Jonas had once helped feed. When Jonas goes again to the House of the Old and meets Larissa, she tells him that Roberto had been released earlier that day. During his release, his life as an Instructor of Elevens, a member of the Planning Committee, and a father of two successful children had been celebrated.
Edna: Edna is another elderly woman whom Larissa talks about. She had also been released recently, but her life telling had not been very interesting like Roberto's had been during his release. She had been a Birthmother, then a Laborer in Food Production. She hadn't even had a family.
Caleb: Caleb had been a cheerful child-a Four who was lost in the river. During the December Ceremony, a newchild is named Caleb in order to replace the Caleb who had been lost earlier. The community performs a Murmur-of-Replacement Ceremony during which people in the audience repeats the name 'Caleb,' getting louder and faster as if they are bringing the lost Caleb back.
Fritz: Fritz is an awkward, clumsy boy in the community. When he receives his bicycle as a Nine, Fritz immediately bumps into the podium. He is known for his minor careless mistakes, 'but each such error [reflects] negatively on his parents' guidance and [infringes] on the community's sense of order and success.'
Chief Elder: The Chief Elder is the leader of the community who is newly elected every ten years. At the December Ceremony, the Chief Elder makes speeches and gives out Assignments to the Elevens.
Committee of Elders: The Committee of Elders is a group of Elders in the community whose long robesdistinguish them from the rest of the citizens. The Elders make important decisions about matters concerning the community. They observe children during school hours as well as during recreation and volunteer hours in order to give them their appropriate Assignments. The Elders also observe citizens to match them with appropriate spouses and assign them to children. The Giver who is also a member of the Committee occasionally meets with the other Elders to give them advice when they need counsel on things that are new or unfamiliar to them.
Pierre: Pierre is a fellow Eleven whose number is Twenty. Jonas does not like Pierre very much because he is 'very serious, not much fun, and a worrier and tattletale.' He is always worried about abiding by the most trivial rules in the community. During the ceremony, the Chief Elder skips Jonas to give Pierre his Assignment.
Madeline: Madeline is a female Eleven who is Number One. As the first born newchild during her year, Madeline is given her Assignment first as a Fish Hatchery Attendant. Jonas thinks that he would not have liked Madeline's Assignment.
Inger : Inger is a female Eleven who is Number Two. She is assigned as a Birthmother. Jonas thinks that this is an appropriate Assignment for Inger who is 'nice,' but 'lazy'
Issac: Issac, Three, is given an Assignment as Instructor of Sixes.
Katherine : Katharine is a Six who has pale eyes like those of Jonas. Like The Giver and Jonas who both have pale eyes, it is expected that she will also be selected to become a Receiver in the future.
THE GIVER...
Where Jonas lives, life is safe, orderly, and predictable. Rules are strictly adhered to; every aspect of a person's life is carefully planned. People rarely make choices on their own; everything is decided for them by the community. There is no snow or sunshine, no colors or music, no animals or nature.
People in the community take special care to avoid doing or saying anything different. In the community, one must not say anything that causes discomfort to others, and one must use language precisely. Husbands and wives are matched as couples by a Committee of Elders who reviews each individual to see if a person's characteristics will be compatible with those of his mate. Exactly two children-one male and one female-are assigned to each family unit. The elderly live at the House of the Old. Those whose children have grown to have families of their own live with other Childless Adults. Newborn infants are nurtured at the Nurturing Center until they become Ones and are assigned to family units.
When Jonas and other Elevens become Twelves in December, they receive their Assignments that assign them to their particular fields of profession. As someone with intelligence, integrity, courage, and a certain special capacity, Jonas is selected for the most honored and respected Assignment in the community. He is assigned to become a Receiver of Memories who will succeed the current Receiver. A Receiver of Memories is the one person in the community who has access to all the memories of the past. He must keep these memories within himself until he can train a new Receiver to whom he can pass them. Thus, the Receiver has knowledge of things that no one in the community has access to, but the Receiver also has the responsibility to shoulder the burden of sorrow and pain that the memories bring.
Jonas begins his training with the Receiver whom he calls THE GIVER. At first, The Giver gives Jonas happy memories of the past-memories of things Jonas has never known. Jonas is eager and excited to be able to experience new things. But THE GIVE must also give Jonas memories of loneliness, fear, grief, rage, and pain-all of which he has never felt in the community. Gradually, through the memories he receives from THE GIVER, Jonas comes to realize the various truths about the community. He realizes that it is unfair to deprive people of ever being able to make choices for themselves about their own lives. He understands that the people of the community have no genuine feelings. Feelings have never been a part of their lives. He also learns that there are different ways to live. Through the memories, he sees people in the past livingdifferently, and feels that the community must change.
Together with THE GIVER Jonas comes up with a plan to change the entire community. He decides to flee the community for the Elsewhere, a place he has only heard about that lies far beyond. If Jonas leaves, the memories he has received from THE GIVER will be let loose. They will find their way back to the community and to the people. The people will have ready access to the memories that will, in turn, give them knowledge about things that have been missing in their lives. They will come to the same kind of awakening that Jonas did when he was given memories of the past from THE GIVER.
Jonas departs for the long and difficult journey during which he faces cold and starvation as well as the danger of being found. Seeing lights in the far distance after having come a long way, Jonas is confident that he has reached his destination.